Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
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These homemade chocolate crinkle cookies are soft and pillow-y chocolate cookies coated in sweet powdered sugar. Ready in just 30 minutes, each bite is more addictive than the last!

Why You’ll Love This Super Easy Chocolate Crinkle Cookie Recipe

These chocolate crinkle cookies are one of my go-to cookie recipe for the holidays or anytime the craving strikes! Here’s why you are going to love them:

  • Soft: These cookies are baked to perfection with crackly tops and wonderfully soft and pillow-y chocolate centers that melt in your mouth.
  • From Scratch: No box of cake mix needed here! This easy chocolate crinkle cookie recipe is made completely from scratch with a few simple ingredients.
  • Quick: These cookies are made quick and easy in 30 minutes with no chilling required!
  • Customizable: Roll them in sprinkles, add different zests/extracts, or sandwich them together with icing to create whoopie pies.

Love chocolate cookies? Try these gooey flourless chocolate marshmallow cookies, decadent chocolate chip marshmallow cookies or bakery-style brown butter chocolate chip cookies!

Ingredients for chocolate crinkle cookie recipe arranged in bowls on a marble countertop, top to bottom: baking powder, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, flour, salt, butter, vanilla, sugar and eggs.

What You’ll Need

You likely already have everything you need on hand to make these cookies! Scroll down to the recipe card for exact amounts.

  • Flour: Use regular all-purpose flour.
  • Cocoa Powder: For the fudgiest flavor, use a high quality unsweetened cocoa powder, either regular or Dutch process.
  • Butter: I used unsalted butter softened to room temperature. If you use salted butter, only add 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
  • Sugar: Granulated sugar works best.
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Powdered Sugar: Confectioner’s white sugar creates the signature crinkle look on top.
  • Baking Powder
  • Salt
Three chocolate cookies set on a plate next to a glass of milk.

How to Make Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

These soft chocolate cookies are ready to go in four easy steps. No dough chilling required! Scroll down to the recipe card for full detailed instructions. 

  • Make the Dough: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla. Combine the dry and wet ingredients, until just combined.
  • Shape and Coat: Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and coat in powdered sugar. Arrange on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, leaving space between for spreading.
  • Bake: Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the tops begin to crack and the edges are set.
  • Cool: Let the cookies sit for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
A platter of homemade chocolate crinkle cookies coated in powdered sugar on a serving plate with a glass of milk.

Tips for Success

This chocolate crinkle cookie recipe is very straight forward, but here are a few tips to ensure they come out perfect every time!

  • Measure Flour: Resist the urge to dunk the measuring cup into a packed bag of flour, it will create overly dense cookies. Instead, fluff the flour with a fork. Then spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level it off with a knife.
  • Sticky Dough: The dough will be sticky! If needed, chill the dough in the fridge for a few minutes before rolling.
  • Cookie Scoop: For uniform cookie sizes and even baking, use a cookie scoop or a tablespoon to portion out the dough.
  • Over-Bake: Take the cookies out once the tops have cracked and the edges are set, but the centers are still slightly gooey. Over-baking will result in dry cookies!
Five chocolate crinkle cookies stacked on top of each other on a plate.

Variation Ideas 

Decadent on their own, these rich and fudgy chocolate crinkle cookies are the perfect foundation for all kinds of variations!

  • Sanding Sugar: Instead of powdered sugar, roll your cookies in sanding sugar (or sprinkles) instead to give them a bit of sparkle and crunch.
  • Chocolate Chips: Turn these into double chocolate cookies by tossing a handful of chocolate chips into the dough. Or for something different, try white chocolate chips or peanut butter chips.
  • Frosting: Sandwich two cookies around some chocolate buttercream frosting or cream cheese frosting. For a festive look, roll the edges in sprinkles or chopped nuts.
  • Extracts: Swap out the vanilla extract for mint extract for mint chocolate cookies. Almond extract will give them bit of nutty flavor or orange extract for orange chocolate cookies!
A bite taken out of a chocolate crinkle cookie set on a marble countertop.

Storage and Freezing

Bake them fresh or freeze them for later, there are a lot of ways you can store chocolate crinkle cookies.

  • Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Store with a slice of bread to keep soft, replacing the slice as it becomes stale.
  • Freeze Cookies: For extra protection, wrap each cookie in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or at room temperature for 30 minutes. 
  • Freeze Dough: Freeze unbaked dough balls WITHOUT powdered sugar on a sheet pan for 30 minutes. Transfer to an airtight, freezer safe container and freeze for up to 6 months. When ready to bake, thaw frozen dough balls on the counter for 30 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar and bake as directed.
Soft and pillowy homemade chocolate crinkle cookies coated in powdered sugar are stacked on top of each other.
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Recipe
Yield: 18 cookies

Easy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Skip the box of cake mix and try these homemade chocolate crinkle cookies instead! Ready in just 30 minutes, these soft and pillow-y chocolate cookies are coated in sweet powdered sugar. Each bite is more addictive than the last!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • cup cocoa powder
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup powdered sugar

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Move racks to the center of the oven. Line two cookie sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a stand mixer, or a bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract. With the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour mixture. Mixing until just combined.
  • Place the powdered sugar to a shallow bowl. Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop 1 heaping tablespoon of dough and shape the dough into balls.
  • Roll the dough balls in the powdered sugar to coat them. Place on the prepared cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between for spreading. (The dough is going to be sticky and hard to actually “roll” into a ball. Just do the best you can, I promise they will turn out right!)
  • Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops crack. Remove from the oven and leave the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a baking rack to cool completely.

Notes

Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Store with a slice of bread to keep soft, replacing the slice as it becomes stale.
Freeze Cookies: For extra protection, wrap each cookie in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or at room temperature for 30 minutes. 
Freeze Dough: Freeze unbaked dough balls WITHOUT powdered sugar on a sheet pan for 30 minutes. Transfer to an airtight, freezer safe container and freeze for up to 6 months. When ready to bake, thaw frozen dough balls on the counter for 30 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar and bake as directed.
Measure Flour: Resist the urge to dunk the measuring cup into a packed bag of flour, it will create overly dense cookies. Instead, fluff the flour with a fork. Then spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level it off with a knife.
Sticky Dough: The dough will be sticky! If needed, chill the dough in the fridge for a few minutes before rolling.
Over-Bake: Take the cookies out once the tops have cracked and the edges are set, but the centers are still slightly gooey. Over-baking will result in dry cookies!

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cookie, Calories: 153kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 35mg, Sodium: 103mg, Potassium: 45mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 194IU, Calcium: 25mg, Iron: 1mg

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Welcome!

Jessica
I'm a trial & error, self taught, sugar addict who thankfully learned how to survive in the kitchen! I am also a wife, mama of 3.